Review: ‘Failure: A Love Story’ at William J. Geery Theater

Both the storyline and the production elements of Failure: A Love Story instantly transports the audience into the Roaring Twenties—complete with ‘20s slang, music, costumes and sets. It’s a strange, sad and very silly story by playwright Philip Dawkins about the overly dramatic deaths of the fictional Fail family.

It’s appropriate that Errant Phoenix Productions stages Failure at the Geery Theater—an old, turn-of-the-century Victorian in Midtown. Add period costumes, the strains of “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” a shadow-box backdrop with old clocks, photos, teddy bears and dial radio, and you’re transported into time and place.

But it quickly becomes apparent that this isn’t a romantic ode to the past, as it starts off with dour and droll comedic notes, including when the parents and three Fail sisters all die in separate, tragic accidents. It’s not only the “how” of each death that piques your interest, but also the fact that the dialogue and plot is seeped in dark humor and creative theatrics.

At times, the story comes across as too precious, trying a bit too hard to be quirky, clever and cute, and some of the performances need a bit more smoothing. But the cohesive Errant team works together to make it a fun adventure with the feel of a traveling theater company who’s hard at work making everything entertaining.